Jake Shimabukuro

“…all the more remarkable for his ability to imply richer voicings than are actually possible with only four strings.” – John Kelman, All About Jazz

Whether Hawaii native Jake Shimabukuro appears at a jazz club, blues festival or classical concert hall, he introduces the audience to a lot more than another accomplished performer and composer. Jake brings a resume that might generate envy among other musicians barely in their 30s—a list of national and international festival dates, tours with Jimmy Buffett and Bela Fleck, sideman credits on a Grammy-winning recording, appearances on The Late Show With Conan O’Brien and NPR’s Morning Edition, seven CD releases, a film score. As a young master of his chosen instrument, he is in fast company with such rising stars as saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, pianist Taylor Eigsti, trumpeter Sean Jones, drummer E.J. Strickland, and vocalist Sophie Millman. But Jake’s chosen instrument puts him in solitary confinement among his acclaimed peers as one of the world’s few ukulele virtuosos, one spanning genres of jazz, blues, funk, classical, folk, rock and anything else defined as music.

Think ukulele and it’s hard not to remember Tiny Tim. Think ukulele and Hawaii, and one conjures images of Don Ho on a Waikiki beach or Elvis Presley in Blue Hawaii. Think Jake Shimabukuro and the image becomes multi-dimensional, multi-cultural. A far cry from “Tiny Bubbles” or “Aloha Oe,” Jake’s repertoire covers everything from traditional island folk roots to Schubert, from Chick Corea to Lennon and McCartney, from Cyndi Lauper to Errol Garner, from Led Zepplin to Harold Arlen—and of course, Jake Shimabukuro himself. The instrument has never had a more effective ambassador.

Growing up in Hawaii, it was natural that Jake picked up the tiny four-string, two-octave instrument. His first lessons, at age four, were given by his mother. “When I played my first chord, I was hooked,” he recalls. But his passion went well beyond the traditional music of the local culture. “As a kid, I listened to everything that my parents had spinning on the turntable, which included traditional Hawaiian music, jazz, rock, blues, classical, etc… My sources of inspiration ranged from string players to horn player, athletes and coaches, comedians to motivational speakers… I get inspired by people who have passion.” His far-flung interests led Jake to experiment, creating new sounds and new techniques that defied the usual approach to ukulele, which he regards as an “untapped source of music with unlimited potential.” Yet he notes the importance of his musical heritage to his music. “It’s a unique foundation…coming from traditional Hawaiian music and then later trying to incorporate rock, classical pieces and jazz standards.”

Like many young and talented musicians, Jake did experiment with other instruments, “but I've always had my heart set on playing the ukulele. In high school and college, I messed around with guitar, piano, and drums, but never got hooked,” he says. Rather, his style reflects familiarity with guitar, banjo and mandolin, as well as a signature strumming method that propels his fingers in double and triple-time. Noted George Varga in a review for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Jake mixes “intricate classical finger-picking, vibrant flamenco chordal flourishes and quicksilver runs with jazzy octave work, Van Halen-like fingerboard tapping and artificial harmonics…deep bluesy blends without once going out of tune…”

Since his early days gigging at a Honolulu café, Jake has brought both respect and attention to the ukulele as a serious instrument capable of a wide range of sound and emotion. He toured with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones in 2002, 2005 and 2006 and with Jimmy Buffet since 2005; he’s appeared at such esteemed clubs as The Knitting Factory in LA, Tipitina’s in New Orleans, Joe’s Pub and BB King’s in Manhattan. His composition “Rainbow” was selected as Hawaii Tourism Japan’s theme song; he is featured on Ziggy Marley’s Grammy-winning Love Is My Religion; he recently scored the Japanese film Hula Girl, released as a soundtrack on Hitchhike Records. His performance credits also include Fiona Apple, Bobby McFerrin, Victor Wooten, Jamie Cullum, Kaki King, Stanley Clarke, The Honolulu Symphony and more. Jake also plays and records with guitarist brother Bruce.

Often exploring what he calls the “angry side” or rock face of the ukulele (“People have always heard the ‘softer’ side”), Jake’s 2006 release, Gently Weeps (Hitchhike Records), was largely a solo effort, including seven original compositions as well as George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” jazz classic “Misty,” Chick Corea’s “Spain,” and even the “Star Spangled Banner.” Noted John Kelman (All About Jazz), this is “a record that, if there’s any justice, should do for the ukulele what Béla Fleck and the Flecktones (Warner Bros., 1990) did for the banjo.” Concentrating more on solo performing these days, Jake released an EP this spring, My Life, with six new tracks covering a range at least as diverse as on Gently Weeps, and destined to push respect for both instrument and musician even higher.

Four of the six tracks on the My Life EP (Hitchhike Records) are simply Jake, alone with his tenor Kamaka ukulele and some amps. The other two tracks include brother Bruce on guitar with Tamao Fuji on light percussion (“Time After Time”) and Randy Aloya on bass (“In My Life”). The music seemed no less complex on the solo tracks, however, and I had to ask his publicist if there were some overdubbed tracks to account for the multiple layers of sound. I was assured that this was unadulterated, music from two hands that sound like three, hands with ten fingers that sound like 20.

While he only includes covers on this EP, Jake displays his ever-expanding palette with two tunes from Lennon and McCartney and one each from Cyndi Lauper, Led Zeppelin, Harold Arlen and Sarah McLachlan. He opens with “Time After Time,” given gentle, richly textured treatment with the addition of guitar and percussion, Jake’s top notes singing like a coloratura soprano. The sound of a rhythm section remains, however, when Jake takes a solo spin on the next track, Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California,” complete with a layer of melody and layer of chordal accompaniment. The pitch is higher but otherwise he attains the dynamic range of a guitar, with some hard strumming and triplet-like slides. At times the ukulele resembles a zither, while at other points like a high-pitched wind instrument—all in all, a one-man symphonic poem.

The two nods to Lennon and McCartney bring more delicacy than usual to the Fab Four. The title track “In My Life” offers a few bars of solo ukulele, Jake creating some slippery slides before Aloya enters with a majestic bassline. It’s a very beautiful arrangement, and one can imagine Lennon smiling. “Here, There and Everywhere” is presented solo as a similarly exquisite ballad.

The Harold Arlen classic, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” might be overdone across genres but Jake finds something new to say, his ballad of deconstructed chords becoming increasingly elaborate, tumbling into a final chorus of rapidly strummed changes. The short set closes with McLachlan’s “Ice Cream,” and indeed it evokes the sensation of watching a bowl of ice cream as it slowly melts, soft, creamy, sweet—tempting a last spoonful.

Overall, My Life tempts another spoonful of Jake Shimabukuro’s stringed confection. Which leads me back to the full-length Gently Weeps, 12 tracks of solo ukulele including seven original tunes, and five more “bonus” ensemble tracks, including two from Jake’s soundtrack to Hula Girl. Jake gives a traditional Japanese folk melody a modern but respectful reading (“Sakura”), while original tunes like “Wish on a Star” and “Grandma’s Groove” go a long way to show off the broad range of the ukulele as well as the fertile imagination of the composer. As he does on the latest release, here Jake makes the too familiar new and elegant—just play “Misty.” I still count three hands.

Probably the only way to truly appreciate the potential of the ukulele is to let Jake take you on a journey through the instrument’s many sounds and colors at a live performance. And keep any preconceived expectations at bay. Notes Jake, “one of the best things about being a ukulele player is that everyone has such low expectations of the show! I would rather keep it that way and just encourage ukulele concert-goers to bring a smile and people they like.”